Wednesday, December 17, 2008

EU 2008 Capsule Reviews

European Film Festival: Capsule Reviews for the Remaining Films

Ulzhan – A troubled man from the West abandons his car and sets out on foot – leaving behind his phone, giving away his money and passport – and tries to lose himself in the endless wilderness and barren deserts of central Asia, as the only way of killing the pain he feels inside. Even in Kazakhstan however, that proves more difficult than he imagined. Ulzhan provides plenty of exoticism, mysticism, cultural and lifestyle issues, and an underlying political undercurrent, with stunning vistas. A beautifully crafted film, and with a relevant statement about current global issues. Thu Dec. 18 at 6 pm, and Sun Dec. 21 at 2 pm.

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Northern Light – Focuses on a man who has difficulties communicating with his son after the death of his wife and daughter. It is a story of few words and many pictures, a minimalist tale that tries – and succeeds – in visualizing the destructive power of a lack of communication. Even when the son finally decides to speak up, he does so through music and images rather than words. Thu Dec. 18 at 8 pm.

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Arabian Nights – A Luxembourg man's obsession with an Algerian woman leads to tragedy in this tightly structured film whose underlying theme deals with Westerners' misconceptions of the Arab world. This compelling drama is first-rate, boasting fine performances and production values. The gorgeous photography supports the storyline with two distinct looks – everyday realism in Luxembourg and a more allegorical feel for the stark Algerian desert. Fri Dec. 19 at 6 pm.

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The Edge of Heaven – Reviews: Universal acclaim. This is probably the most highly regarded film in the festival, having won a number of top prizes, and was the German entry for Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2007. A film of wide scope and a contemplative, deliberate mood, with a cumulative power, both intellectual and emotional. In this extraordinary film by the German writer-director Fatih Akin children are lost, lost parents are never found, and generational and geographical distances grow wider, propelled by beautiful camerawork and scenery that moves back and forth between pastoral idyll and urban chaos. Fri Dec. 19 at 8:15 pm.

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Monkeys in Winter – Portrays the destinies, anxieties, and internal conflicts of three Bulgarian women whose lives revolve around motherhood and children. Their stories unfold during the last forty years of Bulgaria’s most recent social and political history, which is organically interwoven with the women’s personal dramas. In a captivating and challenging way, motherhood becomes the driving force in the lives of these women and the cause of intentional or unintentional murders and deaths. But there are sparkly beads of black humor throughout that relieve the gloom. Sat Dec. 20 at 12 pm.

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Porcelain Doll – Said to be an extraordinarily journey from the mind of writer-director Peter Gardos. Revolving around a small Hungarian village and its inhabitants, three unique folk fables are presented in a fairy tale fashion. I’ve seen a preview, and it looks scary enough to me!

Paired with the 20-minute short film El Balancín de Iván / Ivan’s See-Saw – A woman goes back to the house where she spent her childhood during the 1976 Argentine dictatorship. Once there, she remembers the last moments she lived there with her brother and her parents, as they hide from the police and the military. Sat Dec. 20 at 2:30 pm.

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One Day in August – Three couples escape Athens' summer heat but hit personal problems instead in this quilt of virtually separate vignettes linked by a fourth strand – a sexually confused young man, lovingly lensed in a state of permanent half-nakedness, who breaks into the couples' empty apartments in Athens and goes through his own kind of crisis as he makes free with their belongings. Sat Dec. 20 at 4:30 pm.

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Control – A profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of the late 1970s post-punk band Joy Division, whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23. One of the most perceptive of rock music biopics, it’s been made by two people who knew him very well: his wife Deborah, a teenager when they married; and a photographer, also director of the film, whose early photos helped establish Curtis' image as young, handsome and sorrowful. Generally favorable reviews. Sat Dec. 20 at 6:45 pm.

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The Ball – A flamboyant star role for Italian singer Laura Morante as a ditzy single mother and chanteuse in this cute and slender feature – only 80 minutes including credits and onstage song interludes. Having walked out on her latest boyfriend – at 4 am, drowsy child in tow – nightclub singer Monica (Morante) again plunges her pint-sized 12-year-old son into domestic chaos. He decides the only way to secure their future is by engineering a permanent boyfriend for mom. Sun Dec. 21 at 4 pm.

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Dalecarlians – There’s more than a small element of truth in Maria Blom’s debut film, a depiction of small town life with its eccentric characters and close-knit community contrasted with big city lifestyles. Dalarna, a county north of Stockholm whose residents are called Dalecarlians, is famous for its landscape, and the inhabitants are stubborn and self-centered. Mia, the youngest of three sisters, moved away from Dalarna 15 years ago and has turned into a fast-living Stockholm single. However, her father is turning 70, so Mia reluctantly drives back to her hometown for the celebration. Mia's eldest sister is married with children, and the years have made her cynical. The other sister is recently divorced. When the birthday party starts, anger and jealousy, fueled by booze, rise to the surface. By the following morning, lives have been changed forever. The portrayals of the three sisters are generally considered quite excellent. Sun Dec. 21 at 6:15 pm.

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Empties – Well on its way to becoming the most successful Czech film ever, it’s the third in a trilogy of metaphorical works about maturation that began with "The Elementary School" (childhood) and continued with the mellow and Oscar-winning international smash hit "Kolya" (middle age). This third collaboration between director Jan Sverak and his writer-actor dad, Zdenek, was delayed over some father-son disagreements on the lead character's direction. Not hard to understand why: Self-centered and manipulative, he is largely unsympathetic — at least to non-Czech viewers. He’s a Czech lit teacher and natural contrarian who, exasperated by the unruliness of his students, quits his job. This leaves him stuck at home in modern day Prague with his wife, a linguist who has tolerated Josef's past indiscretions and general curmudgeonliness at the expense of a reservoir of resentment. Theirs is a universal love-hate relationship: at the end of the day their affection, though grudging, is present. Sun Dec. 21 at 8:15 pm.

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